


Requited

by pensversusswords



Category: Marvel
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, Mutual Pining, accidental love confession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2017-04-04
Packaged: 2018-10-14 16:20:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10540098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pensversusswords/pseuds/pensversusswords
Summary: Sometimes, Steve Rogers just can't keep a secret--even when it's his own.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Cleaned up and posted from my tumblr. Hope you enjoy!

As far as post mission debriefings go, this is definitely not the worst, but it’s also not a great one. It is fairly standard, though—Steve is full of righteous fury, and Tony is sitting there, bruised and battered, as he gets chewed out for his behavior in the field earlier. Recklessness, putting himself in danger, taking needless risks. Again, pretty standard.

“Look, I did what needed to be done,” Tony snaps. He leans back in his chair, narrows his eyes at Steve as he crosses his arms over his chest. “There was no other option.”

“I can think of at least five other options off the top of my head,” Steve shoots back. He’s standing over the briefing room table, hands braced on the edge, his face creased with anger and frustration. “None of them involve you putting yourself in danger like that.”

“Um, hate to break it to you Steve, but we are Avengers. Literally everything we did today involved putting ourselves in danger, and that goes for everyone.” Tony gestures to the rest of the team, who all look very uncomfortable and exhausted, except for Clint, who is flat out asleep in his chair, and Rhodey, who is very blatantly glaring at Steve.

“You know it’s not the same,” Steve bites out. “No one was as reckless as you were. No one is ever as reckless as you.”

“Yeah, yeah, not a team player and all that fun stuff, I’ve heard it before Cap, now are we done here? I have things I’d rather be doing than listen to your self righteous tirade right now, such as pretty much anything else.”

“Stop putting words in my mouth,” Steve says tightly, every word dropping with controlled accuracy. His knuckles are white from clutching the table so hard—Tony thinks that if Steve holds it any tighter, the table is going to crack and splinter beneath his hands. Tony is not dealing paying for it if he does. “I didn’t say anything about being a team player, Tony, for fuck’s sake,” Steve continues, the words coming out in an angry rush.

“Swearing are we Cap? Should I let Fury know that he needs to wash your mouth out with soap?”

“Tony—“

“Why do you even care anyways? We all know it’s not like I’m the most important person on this team, if anyone has to risk their life it should be—“

“You are such an asshole,” Steve all but yells, eyes flashing, “I love you, of course I care, and everyone on this team is equally important, that’s what a team  _is_ , Tony. Why don’t you get that?”

Tony blinks, mouth dropping open a little bit in surprise. He sits up straight in his chair, heart doing a weird flip-flopping thing in his chest. “Um. What did you just say?”

The rest of the room is deafeningly silent as Steve blanches, his releases his grip on the table and crosses his arms over his chest. Normally he looks intimidating like that, but now he just looks… horrified. He clears his throat. “I said— I said all the team members are important.”

“No.” Tony shakes his head sharply. “No, nope, before that.”

Steve looks about ready to bolt. Tony swears he sees his blue eyes dart over to the door, as if he’s considering making a run for it. “I, uh.”

“All right, I think we should all clear out,” Natasha’s voice announced. She stands quickly, reaches out and pinches Clint’s ear to wake him. “Clearly these two need to talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about, it’s fine—“

Natasha cuts Steve off with a dagger-like glare. “I wasn’t asking,” she says, with absolute finality in her voice.

“Ow, Natasha, what the hell,” Clint grumbles when Natasha nudges him not-so-gently. He blinks tiredly at the rest of the team, who are all hastily heading towards the door as quickly as possible. “Is debrief over?”

“Nope,” Natasha says, “just postponed.” She grabs his arm and pulls him out of his chair. “I’ll explain in a sec.”

Clint mumbles under his breath, grabs his arrow of the table and yawns, before ambling towards the door.

Natasha is the last one to leave, and she gives them both a very pointed glare before firmly closing the door behind her.

Tense, painful silence follows. Tony stares at a divot in the table, as far away from Steve’s gaze as possible.

“So,” Tony says finally, trying his damn hardest to keep his voice steady, like his heart isn’t going wild in his chest right now, or like he doesn’t feel like bolting out the door after the rest of the team and the only things keeping him in his seat are absolute shock and the fact that he is overcome with a self destructive need to know what the hell Steve meant. “What the hell was that?” he chokes out.

Steve sighs, and Tony braves a glance in his direction just as Steve is starting to sink into a chair, all the fight drained out of him completely. “I guess we need to talk, don’t we?”

Tony can feel his heart in his throat and his pulse continuing to ricochet through his body in an uneven rhythm. He drums his fingers against the rim of his arc reactor, the tap-tapping jagged and uneven over the thunderous beating of his heart. 

He clears his throat. “So,” he begins with forced nonchalance, “you wanna tell me what that was about?”

Steve is turned away from him, looking out the window, arms crossed over his chest. Tony can’t decide if it’s better or worse that he can’t see Steve’s face. 

When he gets no response after a long few seconds, Tony clears his throat pointedly.

Heaving a great sigh, Steve slowly turns around to begrudgingly face Tony. 

“You drive me crazy, Tony,” Steve says, his brow furrowed and his voice tight and weary all at the same time. 

“Yeah, I got that part,” Tony answers, waving his hand. “You tell me that all the time. I’m talking about the part where you randomly said ‘I love you’ in the middle of a debriefing.”

Steve looks like he wants to jump out the window–Tony wouldn’t put it past him, it seems like something Steve has done at some point before. Jokes on Steve, though, Tony has the suit. Steve may be strong, but he can’t run from… whatever this conversation is. 

“I hope this doesn’t make things awkward for you,” Steve says stiffly. “I had no intentions of pushing my feelings on you, that was an accident. I got caught up in the moment, you just dive head first into danger, Tony, and it makes me feel–”

“Hold on, hold on.” Tony stands up abruptly, holds up a hand to halt Steve right there. “What exactly are your…  _feelings_?”

Tony can tell Steve is gritting his teeth even from across the room. “Are you mocking me?”

“No, fuck no, I’m just confused, is all!” Tony throws up his hands in exasperation. He has absolutely no idea what is going on right now, this is _madness_. “Forgive me for wanting a little bit of clarification!”

“All right. I love you. Will that be all?” 

“Like,” Tony swallows thickly, “as a team member? A friend?”

“Like.” Steve pauses, clears his throat, his eyes sliding away from Tony’s face. He seems to take in a deep breath, as if he’s fortifying himself, before looking back at Tony. “A friend, of course. But also… like, as though you were my fella. Dating. Uh. Romantically.”

Tony just blinks at him, lets the words wash over him as he grasps at every syllable, turning each one this way and that, examining it completely as he fights wave after wave of disbelief. 

Steve–beautiful, strong, blue-eyed, stubborn as an ox, with a heart as golden as his hair–is looking at him like he’s waiting for the drop out from underneath him. Tony rarely sees Steve looking nervous, but he does right now; he’s clenching his fists at his sides, his jaw twitches, his posture is even more upright than usual. Steve, who Tony has loved for longer than he can remember, is looking at him like Tony holds his heart in his hands, like Tony could squeeze his hand into a fist and Steve would crumble to the ground, clutching his chest in agony. 

He has to be dreaming. This isn’t real. Steve Rogers doesn’t look at him like that–not in this universe. 

But he is. And even if it is a dream, Tony’s going to make the most of it. 

“I’m gonna do something insane right now,” Tony announces. 

“I wouldn’t expect any less from you,” Steve says dryly. He quirks a brow, waiting. 

Tony nods frantically, then before he can think it through all the way, he’s out of his chair darting forward, making a beeline for Steve, eyes fixed on him, walking, running, heart beating so fast–

He gets to Steve and doesn’t stop, reaches out two hands until his fingers are touching Steve’s face and–

Steve’s mouth is warm, softer than he’d imagined. He makes a startled noise when Tony’s mouth meets his, but doesn’t pull away. When he lifts his arms to fold them around Tony’s back, they are as solid and comforting as he'd thought they would be. They’re kissing, mouth’s joined and breath mingling, inhale, exhale, together, together--

Tony melts into him, lets his body be enveloped by Steve’s warmth and soaks it in for as long as this moment can last. He feels the want of ‘forever’ deep in his bones, but he wills those thoughts away. Later. He can worry about that later. Right now, he’s too busy memorizing the feeling of Steve’s mouth against his own, mapping the back of his neck with shaky fingertips. 

A little breathless, Steve pulls away after a moment. His cheeks are flushed and he looks less like he has a stick up his ass, but he still has a frown etched between his brows. “If this is pity–”

“You’re an idiot,” Tony informs him. “Literally everyone knows I’m in love with you.”

“Oh,” Steve says softly, blinking owl-eyed with confusion. “I–”

Tony cuts him off right there. He kisses him like it’s the only thing in the entire universe that matters. In that moment, it might as well be. 

**Author's Note:**

> Come join me on [tumblr](http://pensversusswords.tumblr.com/)!


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